Where The Locals Eat In Florence

Jennifer Polland /Business Insider
With its trattorias, gelaterias, pizzerias and cafes, Florence is arguably one of the best food cities in the world.

Savvy tourists know this and inundate the city's restaurants and cafes. But where do the locals—who know truly great Florentine food—go?

We traveled to Italy recently to find out. From hole-in-the-wall piadina shops to home-spun family-run trattorias, we discovered that there are phenomenal dining experiences in this jewel of a city—if you follow the locals and know where to go.

Though Florence isn't typically known for its pizza, Pizzeria Spera, located outside the city center, serves incredible pizza that wins approval from even the pickiest pizza lovers.

L'Azdora Piadineria is a small eatery that serves made-to-order piadinas (grilled flatbread sandwiches). Since it's located right next to the Mercato Centrale, a lot of the locals who work in the market stop here for a quick lunch.

The piadinas at L'Azdora are stuffed with fresh ingredients, like spinach and parmesan cheese, tomato and mozzarella, or ham, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese.

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Trattoria Mario is a cozy family-run Italian restaurant that's open only for lunch. And though tourists have discovered the place, the restaurant regularly fills up with locals who work at the nearby Mercato Centrale.

Another awesome lunch spot is 'ino, near the Uffizi, which serves creative and fresh paninis to order.

There are some regular items available, but the inventive menu—which features changing specials like a panini with pesto and scamorza cheese or a panini with anchovies, tomato and ricotta cheese—brings locals back again and again.

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Though Cammillo Trattoria, near Santo Spirito, has been discovered by tourists, locals still frequent it regularly.

Screenshot via Google Street View

Borgo S. Jacopo, 57/r 50125

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The homey trattoria serves hearty Tuscan fare and Florentine specialties. For starters, you can order rich crostini topped with chicken livers, fritto misto (fried mixed vegetables) or mozzarella and tomato.